Home
by amy.ward.906
Summary: A girl comes through the anomaly into the Forest of Dean. She has ties with Cutter and a rough past. How does she know Cutter? Why was she on the other side of the anomaly? What will happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Primeval or its brilliant creators.**

**A/N: Okay this is my first and only Primeval fanfiction, so be nice and let me know what you think. Read It, Love It, Review it!**

**A/N: If I make any Primeval mistakes, please let me know, as I want to get this right. I love this show!**

It had been a slow day at the ARC, until now… the alarm started going off and Jess read the Anomaly Detector to get a location on where it was at.

"That's odd," she said.

"Location Jess...where is it?"

"Um Connor…"

"Now would be good." Abby said to Jess through the communication device.

"Okay…the anomaly is located in the Forest of Dean."

Abby and Connor look at each other. "There hasn't been an anomaly there since…

"Since we first started with Cutter," Connor said, finishing Abby's sentence. As they drove there Jess told them, "I'm sending backup, the full team; Matt, Becker, everyone."

"Why Jess? Because of the location?" Connor asked.

"No, something's off about this off. The readings show it's going to close 5 minutes after you arrive."

"The anomaly's never close that fast," Abby says.

"Hence the backup," Lester says, chiming in through the comm.

As they arrived and Connor set up the ALD (Anomaly Locking Device), he called out to Abby, "Something's coming through."

Just then something came flying out of the anomaly. Landing on the ground, Becker and his men had guns pointing at it, until the thing started to rise. It was a girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up every day and trying to survive was becoming a routine part of life, ever since she came through the anomaly, but there was no time for idle thoughts. She had to get water while her mom went to get food.

When she got to the water hole, she saw something glinting in the distance. She recognized it immediately and finished gathering water before running back to the camp. "Mom," she called out repeatedly.

"What is it Beth?" Natalie asked her daughter.

"I… I saw…" she said trying to catch her breath, "I saw the anomaly."

Her mom was stunned for a brief moment before snapping out of her stunned state and gathering all their things and heading with her daughter to where the anomaly was. Upon arriving at the spot though, the situation turned bleak.

The anomaly was in a dead end cavern and all around them were little crevices, openings, with pterodactyls all over.

"It's a hunting ground," Natalie said. Beth's eyes suddenly saw the bones of several animals littering the ground. Then as she looked up at the anomaly she realized something.

"Mom it's closing," Beth said.

Quickly Natalie formulated a plan in her mind, "On the count of 3 we make a run and jump through, 1…2…3!" she yelled. Beth and Natalie started running and the pterodactyls started swooping down from the openings.

One in particular dove towards Beth. Beth saw it and dove to the ground. As it started attacking her, she rolled onto her back, so she could fight it off. Then a rock struck it.

Natalie had seen this beast swoop towards Beth and decided to divert its attention. As it looked up at Natalie, she realized it was Juggernaut. She had nicknamed this creature that during a fight she had with it last year, during which she gave it a scar on the side of its face leading towards its left eye.

The pterodactyl left Beth and headed towards Natalie. Beth, seeing what her mom was doing, attacked Juggernaut from behind, getting swiped by its talon across her arm and leg. Natalie threw another rock and yelled to Beth, "RUN!"

"But Mom-

"NOW!" Natalie yelled at Beth, knowing the anomaly was closing and that she had only mere seconds left. Beth took her mom's advice and ran. Jumping through and landing in dirt, she lay there breathing heavily. Slowly pushing herself up from the ground, she turned towards the anomaly as it closed.

"No…" she said, almost in a whisper, before her legs buckled underneath her, bringing her to meet the ground once more.


	3. Chapter 3

"Stand down men," Captain Becker told his boys as he approached the girl carefully. As he slowly walked over to her as not to spook her, he said, "Miss are you alright?"

Beth turned her head towards the voice. Looking at the man suspiciously, her whole body went rigid. Becker saw the girl tense up in fright. He crouched next to her and slowly reaching his hand out to the girl hoping she would take it. She didn't.

"You're safe now." Becker told her.

Abby, seeing that this girl wasn't trusting of Becker, decided to step in. Staying in clear view of the girl, she went over to her and said, "Hey there, pretty nasty cuts you've got there. Do they hurt?"

Beth shrugged, "A little."

"I bet. How about you come with me and we'll get those looked at?" Abby asked her, holding out her hand, hoping she got through to her and got the girl to trust her. Luck was with Abby as the girl took her hand and they stood up from their position on the forest floor.

"What's your name?" Abby asked her.

"Beth," she replied.

"Mine's Abby."

As she and Beth walked towards the SUV, Connor who had packed up the equipment and put it in the back said, "Okay, who's the cutie?"

Knowing Connor was trying to break the ice and make Beth feel more comfortable, Abby just laughed and told him, "Connor this is Beth. Beth this goofball is Connor." Climbing into the SUV the 3 of them headed back to the ARC. Upon arrival they were met with the face of James Lester.

"Who is this?" he asked the team.

"Beth this is James Lester. Lester, meet Beth." Connor said, introducing the two.

"Fine, now that I know her name would you mind telling me what she is doing here?"

Abby spoke up. "I'm going to take care of her injuries."

"Then…"

"Then get her cleaned up and into a fresh change of clothes."

"Fine," Lester huffed. "After you do that, I would like to see the 3 of you in my office for a de-briefing," he told them before walking back to his office.

"He doesn't like people, does he?" Beth asked Abby.

"He tolerates people," Abby replied. "He just can't stand being un-informed."

Abby then took Beth down to the medical wing. She had to cut Beth's pants to clean the wound, but thankfully her jeans had taken the brunt of the attack. As for her arm, luckily it had stopped bleeding…

'_Probably the anomaly jump sealed the wound' _Abby thought

Though the cut was deep. Abby knew a few more inches and it would have required stitches. After cleaning the wounds free of anything that might be residing in them, she sent Beth into the shower that was in the locker room across the hall.

Beth came out after almost an hour, wrapped in a towel. Abby handed her a pair of lounge pants in ocean blue with a matching tank top, then bandaged her wounds. She didn't bandage them before because they would have only gotten wet from the shower.

Taking Beth down to Lester's office and going inside it, Beth sat down in a chair in front of Lester's desk while Abby stood next to Connor, who was there waiting.

"Beth, I need you to sign this," Lester said, handing her a sheet of paper and a pen. "It's a non-disclosure agreement that states you agree to never revel anything you see or hear while on these premises."

She read over it carefully, then signed it. "Abby, Connor, I need you two to witness it." They did. Lester put the document on his desk and pulled out a tape recorder. Turning it on he said, "James Lester, the time is 6:13 pm. The date is May 16th 2012." Looking at Beth he said, "State your name."

"Beth," she said.

"Your full name."

"Beth Lillian Anderson."

"Miss Anderson, for the record state what happened."

"You mean before, during or after the anomaly?"

James quickly reached forward and shut off the tape recorder. "You know what they are called?" Beth nodded.

"How?" asked Abby.

"My dad, he worked with Uncle Nick on them before we disappeared."

"Nick?" Lester questioned.

"Nick Cutter." Beth said.

"How do you know Cutter?" Connor asked Beth.

"Nick's my godfather."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Primeval **

**A/N: Timeline is season 4-ish, but AU. I have seen the show but I am not sure how much I will incorporate into it. Cutter is dead, no Matt, since I found out his last name is Anderson. That is Beth's last name so Matt isn't there. Connor is Team Leader along with Abby. Beth's history will be revealed this chapter.**

_Previously: "How do you know Cutter?" "He's my godfather."_

"Enough," said Lester. "We can cover the topic of the girl's relationship to Cutter later. Right now we need to discuss how much she knows about the anomalies."

"I know they're rips in time," said Beth.

"Anything else?" Lester asked her.

"You go through one and you can wind up in any time era known to mankind."

James Lester sat back in his chair looking appalled. This situation was not going to be easy to deal with.

"So which time period were you in?" asked Connor. Abby whacked him on the arm.

"What?" Connor asked Abby. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and sighing at his behavior.

"The one with dinosaurs," Beth replied. Abby laughed when she saw the look on Connor's face, hearing Beth's answer.

"If we're done with the joking, can we get back to the task at hand?" James Lester said to the group.

"You want to know what happened, right?" Beth asked Lester.

"Yes I would," he replied.

"Fine," Beth said. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking. As she spoke images flooded her mind, bringing up memories old and new…

**Flashback…**

_**Beth at 7 years old …**_

_She always loved coming to the University where her father worked. She never lost her fascination for this place, what with the vast size of it and the knowledge contained within its walls. Her father had brought her with him today since it was one of those "bring your kid to work" days. As she saw two familiar faces, she left her father's side and ran towards the two people._

"_UNCLE NICK!" she screamed. She ran up to Nick Cutter, her father's work associate, who immediately picked her up in a hug._

"_Bethie, what have you been up to?" Cutter asked his god-daughter._

"_Digging in the dirt with the dinosaurs."_

"_Really? Not discovering the dust in the books at the library?" _

_She shook her head, giggling. Her and her god-father always did this routine._

"_Hey Beth."_

"_Hey Stephen," Beth said to her god-father's co-worker. She didn't like him. To her, he seemed shifty. _

_Nick Cutter could see that his god-daughter seemed uncomfortable so he said, "Beth, do you want to help me with something?"_

"_Yeah!" she exclaimed._

"_Okay, hop on," he told her, crouching down and letting her climb on his back. Beth got on her Uncle Nick in a piggyback and they walked off while Beth's dad, Zachary, went off with Stephen to do…something._

_**Beth at 9 years old…**_

_This morning had not been kind. Before she left for school, she overheard her parents talking about getting a divorce. They couldn't split up. Then when they realized she had overheard, they told her they would all discuss this when she got home. Talk about a clichéd line! In her mind there was nothing to talk about. Her parents were splitting up! _

_Once she got to school, the weather had changed from just being overcast to a pouring down, cats and dogs rainstorm. Trying to put the situation at home out of her mind and failing miserably, she wasn't able to concentrate on her math. _

_Having a hard time thinking about anything but her parent's inevitable separation, she asked for a pass to the bathroom. Once she got into the hall, she started feeling like she couldn't breathe. Leaving school and catching a taxi, she told the driver to take her to the University. Upon arrival, she ran towards the Zoology department. Getting to the building and becoming soaking wet in the process, she ran into an office and flung herself onto a couch and laid there, curling up into a ball and tried not to cry. She laid there shivering until she heard a voice._

"_Beth, what are you doing here? Is everything all right" _

_The voice belonged to Nick Cutter. As he walked over to her, she saw that she was wet. He sat her upright and noticing that she was shivering, pulled a blanket around her._

"_Beth, what's wrong?" Why aren't you in school?" Cutter asked her. _

_Beth took a deep shuddering breath before saying, "Mum and Dad…they're getting a divorce._

_**Beth at 12 years old…**_

_One thing she wanted this year for her birthday, the only thing, was her mom and dad back together. That wasn't going to happen, but the two of them did agree to celebrate her birthday together…just the three of them. It turned out to include her dad's girlfriend as well, a fact that her mum wasn't too happy about. _

_Eating a picnic lunch in the Forest of Dean, she could see her parents growing antsy. Walking away into the forest and in the opposite direction of a beginning argument between her mum and dad, she came across…no, it couldn't be._

"_Lizzie!" _

_Gods, it was her dad's girlfriend, Amanda._

"_It's Beth, not Lizzie."_

"_Sorry Beth, are you-_

_Amanda saw what could only be described as a floating sphere made up of glass shards glowing brightly. _

"_What's this?" Amanda asked Beth, as she took a few steps towards it. Then something leaped out and bit into Amanda before dragging her body back into the ball of light. It seemed to be only moments later when a pack of raptors leaped out and chased Beth back towards her parents. The 3 of them ran for their lives and as they ran, they were left with no option but to run directly into the anomaly._

**End of Flashback…**

"We were stuck there for 4 years. Dad was killed almost as soon as we got there by the pack of raptors chasing us."

"What about you mother?" James Lester asked Beth.

"She was killed by Scarface just before I jumped through the anomaly back here.

"Scarface?" Connor asked.

"It what me and mum called this one Pterosaur that attacked us about a year after Dad was killed. We left him with a scar alongside his face."

"You can classify dinosaurs?" Conner asked her amazed.

"Only a few. I went on a field trip to a museum with my school a couple of weeks before my birthday."

The room fell silent after a few moments at Beth's story. Lester realized during this silence that she had nowhere to live. Obviously Connor and Abby were thinking the same thing because they said to Lester, "We'll take her home with us."

Lester looked at them like they were crazy, but he realized no one else was equipped to deal with the girl after what she had been through. Beth wasn't paying attention to their conversation at the moment, just picking at the sandwich Jess had given her while she was telling her story. Lester gave Connor and Abby his permission to take Beth with them, so they did.


	5. Chapter 5

The three of them arrived back at Abby's flat and went inside. "Beth are you hungry?"

She was a little but after everything that had happened so far she wasn't sure if she could keep anything down. "A little bit," she replied. Trying to be polite she asked Abby, "Can I help?"

"That's alright. You can go watch TV until everything's ready if you want." Abby told her.

"Okay," Beth nodded. Going into the living room she took the remote and settled herself on the couch flipping on the TV. Some mindless sitcom was on so she decided to watch that, hoping it would take her mind off everything.

Putting the remote back on the coffee table she leaned back against the couch with her arms by her sides. Suddenly there was a chirping coming from beside her head. Turning her head she saw a lizard with wings. Taking in a deep breath she stared at this green colored creature. Then she felt something move against her legs. Looking down she saw two small creatures the size of puppies by her feet. Her body went slightly rigid. Then one of them licked her fingers. "AHHHH!"

_In the kitchen..._

Connor was helping Abby make some pasta. "How do you think she's doing?" Connor asked his girlfriend.

"I'm not sure. She seems kind of shy, but that's probably her trying to get use to everything again." Said Abby.

"She was there for what? About 4 years?" Connor wondered. Abby nodded. "Oh man, she's gonna have it harder than we did."

"It's okay Connor. She's going to be fine. You know why? Because she's got us. We can understand what she went through, at least a little bit anyway." Abby said to her goofball, before pulling him into a hug.

Hugging her back, he gave her a gentle kiss before taking over and stirring the pasta on the stove while Abby diced up some vegetables for the salad. Then…

"_AHHHH!"_

Hearing the scream coming from the living room, the couple ran out there…where Beth ran into them. Pulling her into a hug Connor asked her, "What it is?"

Taking a few deep breaths she said, "Dinos… they're…" her voice shaking she couldn't say anymore.

Abby realized what had frightened Beth. "They must have been sleeping when we got home. Connor, can you finish fixing the food? I'll introduce her to the group." He nodded and went into the kitchen, so Abby led Beth back over to the couch. "It's okay Beth. I should have told you about this bunch. I wasn't thinking that they might scare you. I can promise you though, Rex won't hurt you."

"Rex?" Beth asked her, with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Rex," said Abby as she scratched the back of his head. Rex closed his eyes and chirped, loving the attention. "He came through one of anomaly's when everything first started and wasn't able to get back. I got attached to him and didn't want him to stay at the ARC, so I brought him home." Abby saw Beth looking at him. "Come on, you can pet him."

Beth slowly came over and ran her hand over the scaly skin. Rex arched his back like a cat and chirped, obviously loving the attention. "Yeah he's not going to hurt you. Just try not to open the windows too much, he likes to fly outside sometimes." Abby said.

"We're still trying to train him with that." Connor said, coming out from the kitchen with some vegetables in bowls. Setting the bowls on the floor in a corner, the two small dinosaurs ran across the hardwood floor to reach them, stumbling a bit.

"They look like puppies, tripping up like that," Beth laughed. "What are they?"

"Diictodon, herbivores. We call them Sid and Nancy." Connor told her. "Now ladies, dinner is served."


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner with Conner and Abby was your typical sit-down meal. Food was eaten and conversation was made. Desert was a cobbler and now with a full belly, Beth was laying on the couch, which was her bed for the night, dressed in a pair of pajamas that she had borrowed from Abby.

She fell asleep rather quickly, the day's events catching up to her. Rex was curled up on her stomach with her hand lightly resting on the prehistoric lizard. The household was silent that night, until a storm approached.

Rain poured down and lightning flashed, lighting up the night sky and thunder rumbled. In the flat, a man and a woman slept in the bed upstairs. Downstairs a teenage girl slept on the couch, whimpering in her sleep. The lizard that had been sleeping on her, was now on the back of the couch. The girl tossed and turned, kicking off the blankets that had covered her to the floor. A throw pillow joined them only a moment later. A rumble of thunder and a simultaneous flash of lightning woke her up from the nightmare her mind was trapped in.

Beth jolted up from the couch, eyes snapping open. Realizing where she was, Beth took a couple of deep breaths and stood up. Lightning danced across the sky, briefly lighting up the apartment. She quietly walked across the living room and sat down on a window seat, bringing her knees to her chest and watching the rain hit the window and cover the city.

With Beth looking out the window she was not aware of her surroundings and therefore did not notice Conner coming downstairs. He saw her staring out the window and knew automatically what was troubling her. Sitting down on the couch, he spoke just loud enough for her to hear him and said, "The first nightmare is always the worst ain't it?"

Beth quickly turned her head towards his voice. Seeing it was only Conner, she exhaled in relief. Nodding she whispered, "Yeah."

Connor patted the couch in a silent invitation to come and sit down. Beth reluctantly left the window seat and sat next to Conner. He handed her the throw pillow from the floor and then took the blanket as well and wrapped it around her. "You never forget it, you know. The screams, the blood and the way you have to watch your guard. The memories are always gonna be there in your mind."

'_The words he says…it's like-_ "How long were you there?"

"Me and Abby, we were there for roughly a year."

"It never goes away does it?" Beth asked him.

"No it doesn't." replied Conner.

"Is it bad that I want to remember?" Beth asked hesitantly.

"You remember the good times. As for the bad, you make sure that when you do remember, you make sure they make you stronger. Don't let them control you."

"Okay." Beth said before curling up on the couch. Conner stood up to take his leave, but before he could Beth asked him, "Where's Uncle Nick?"

Conner stopped and that's when she knew. "He's dead too." She said. He nodded confirming his former leader's passing. The young girl tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. Silent but just as emotional.

Conner sat back down and pulled Beth into his arms and let her cry as he ran his hand through her hair, trying to give her comfort. The two just sat there as Beth fell asleep. When she did Conner laid her down on the couch and tucked the blanket around her, hoping that dawn would bring a better day for everyone, especially Beth.

But that wasn't going to happen…

**A/N: Yes I pulled a cliffhanger…but it was necessary for the events that will be unfolding.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay faithful readers, the story is about halfway over. The next few chapters, which I hope won't be too awful, will consist of angst and some major action. The action-y parts I will do my best to write out descriptively. After all that, the story will wind down and end with…HA! I can't tell you what kind of ending or else you might just skip right there. So keep reading, I promise you it will be well worth it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Primeval. If I did Andrew Lee Potts would be giving me a back massage right now and I would have nightly performances of Hannah Spearritt along with the rest of S Club 7.**

_The next morning_

**RING!**

"Hello?" Abby said, answering the phone half asleep.

"Miss Maitland?"

"Yes?"

"Miss Maitland, this is Ms. Thomas with Children's Services. It has been brought to our attention that you have a minor under your care by the name of Beth Anderson. Now as you are not a registered foster parent, Beth will need to be placed in a proper foster home."

Abby was shocked. "Ms. Thomas-

"I will there in one hour to collect the girl and her belongings." Before Abby could say anything, the social worker had hung up and all Abby heard was a dial tone. She knew she had to wake up Conner and now. Shaking him she said, "Conner wake up."

Conner just snuggled into the blankets. Some days he acted just like a big kid and Abby usually loved that, but not today. Getting out of bed, she pulled the bed sheets off of him and took away his pillow.

Conner sat up. Abby realized that she got his attention and said, "We've got a problem."

"What?"

"Someone from Children Services is coming over and taking Beth away."

Conner was appalled. "Lester said we could keep her."

"Well something must have happened. I'm going to call Lester and find out what's going on. You go and wake up Beth. Let her know what's happening."

Conner nodded his head. As he left Abby called Lester, who after two rings picked up.

"_James Lester."_

"Lester, this is Abby."

"_Yes Miss Maitland-_

"Cut the formalities. I just got a call from Ms. Thomas at Children's Services who told me that Beth is being placed in their custody."

"_Abby-_

"You said Conner and I could keep her."

"_Abby, this is over my head. Since Beth has no living relatives she is required to be put in foster care. Also since she's already signed the non-disclosure agreement, my boss is not concerned with the security of the ARC being breached."_

"What about her past history on the other side of the anomaly? Who will help her deal with that? She already had a nightmare last night." Abby told Lester, worried about Beth and the trauma she had no doubt endured while in that time period. The aftereffects of that would require some kind of counseling.

"_The most I can do is talk to Children's Services and my superior. Perhaps I can arrange some sort of contact between Beth, Conner and yourself. I'm sorry Abigail."_ Then Lester hung up. Abby, sitting on the bed, sighed before closing her eyes and silently praying.

**Meanwhile downstairs…**

Conner was standing by the bottom stair as he looked over towards Beth, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully considering the rough night she had been through. Walking over to her, he knelt down and gently woke the girl.

Beth, waking up to a gentle shaking, opened her eyes and saw Conner. Blinking her eyes a few times, she breathed in deeply and sat up, stretching her arms above her head. "Morning Conner," she said.

"Morning," he replied back in what he hoped to be a cheerful tone.

However Beth noticed his tone of voice. His voice indicated bad news. "Okay, what's wrong?" she asked him.

"Beth…um…"

"I can't stay here can I?" she asked him.

'_This girl's perceptive' _Conner thought. He shook his head. "Sorry sweetie, but Children's Services is sending someone over here this morning."

Beth nodded, before grabbing the clothes she wore yesterday and heading into the bathroom to change. As she came out a few minutes later, she saw Abby and Conner in the kitchen. The three of them just stood there not knowing what to do or say, when a knock on the front door broke the silence.

Abby answered the door and in came a woman who looked to be in her 30s. "Miss Maitland, I'm Ms. Thomas with Children Services. Is Beth ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" said Beth, her emotional walls already put back into place and a cold emotional exterior making itself known.

"Miss Anderson, Abigail Maitland is not a registered foster parent, therefore you cannot stay here with her." Ms. Thomas told the girl, already sensing that she was going to be trouble.

"What if she became one? Then could I stay with her?" Beth asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Miss Anderson that is not my decision. Now we need to leave." She said almost dragging Beth from the apartment and as the door shut, the couple stood there hoping that Beth Lillian Anderson would be okay.

As for Beth Lillian Anderson, as she sat in the backseat of the car, she **knew** things wouldn't be okay. Not for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter is loosely based on the season 2 premiere episode. Thoughts are in **_italics_**.**

_3 months later…_

Being in the custody of Children's Services sucked, at least as far as she was concerned. When she was taken from Conner and Abby, Ms. Thomas told her she was going to be placed in a foster home. Instead she was placed in a group home and 3 months later she was still there. Apparently nobody wanted to foster a teenager.

Right now she was on a field trip with her 10th grade math class. They were at the mall to study how businesses worked, specifically supply and demand, that sort of thing.

Yeah right!

The teacher told them a brief lecture, then everyone went shopping, except her. Since she didn't have any money she just browsed and then went to the bathroom.

While she was in the bathroom she thought about stuff, like Conner, Abby and dinosaurs. For the past few days her brief encounter with the ARC had been on her mind. Also she'd been having nightmares again.

Suddenly she heard screams. She stayed put, not knowing what it was and not wanting to get caught in the crossfire if the screams were a result of a shooting or hostage situation. After about 5 minutes the screams stopped.

She tried to leave the stall but the lock was jammed. So she crawled under the stall door. Yuck! Cautiously she opened the bathroom door and peeked outside. All she saw was an empty mall. Weird. There wasn't an earthquake and she didn't see anybody with a gun. No announcement was made involving a bomb threat, so why was the mall emptied like that?

**(Sound of raptors) **

No way...

**(Sound of raptors again)**

**NO!** Her brain screamed. '_Not now, not here' _ she thought. She knew she had to get outside as quickly as possible and without alerting the raptors on where she was. Her mind immediately went into survival mode.

Observing her surroundings, she realized that she was on the lower level of the mall. She had to get either to the parking garage and leave that way, if it hadn't been blocked off. Since she wasn't sure and she didn't want to risk getting trapped, the only other way was the normal entrance/exit which was one level up. Looking towards the escalators, which were still running, she knew she'd have to make a break for it. She would make it up the escalators and then hide near the bench and fake plants just past that. From there she would plan her next move.

Just as she was about to run for it, she saw movement up in that area. _'Bloody hell'_ she thought. _'I can't stay here too much longer. They'll track my scent'_

She saw movement again and then heard gunfire. _'Wait! Gunfire? It couldn't be, could it? Who else would be in here with guns? If that's the ARC team, how do I get their attention?' _

Looking around, she tried to find something to alert someone to her position, being prepared to move quickly to another hiding spot if necessary. Seeing nothing of use that she could reach quickly, she checked her bag and her person. Finding her MP3 player she disconnected her headphones and played her favorite song at full volume.

**I've been looking for a driver who is qualified  
>So if you think that you're the one, step into my ride<br>I'm a fine cool supersonics speed machine  
>Got a sunroof top and a gangster lead<strong>

**So if you feel it let me know, know, know  
>Come on now what you're waiting for, for, for<br>My engine's ready to explode, explode, explode  
>So start me up and watch me go, go, go<strong>

**Get you where you wanna go, if you know what I mean  
>Got a ride that's smoother than a limousine<br>Can you handle the curves, can you run all the lights  
>If you can baby boy, than we can go all night<br>Cause it's zero to sixty in three point five  
>Baby you got the keys<br>Now shut up and drive**

With the song being finished, Beth threw her MP3 player towards some raptors that were coming near her. Looking up towards the sitting area near the top of the escalators, she saw Conner trying to get her attention. She gave him a little salute to show that she saw him, then taking a deep breath and ran for it.

She was just starting up the stairs when she heard one of the raptors cry out. Turning around, she saw two of them advance towards her. She froze in place for almost a minute, then she heard Conner's voice.

"Beth come on!"

She quickly turned and ran up the escalator, one of the raptors on her heels. Just as she made it to the top, it caught up to her. She tripped and the raptor took that opportunity to slash at her leg with its claw.

Biting her lip to hold in the scream, she kicked out at the raptor with her uninjured leg, knocking it down a few stairs. The raptor rose back up, shook its head, barely stunned and let out a screech alerting its pack mates. Gathering her bearings she quickly made her way over to Conner as Abby took down the remaining raptors.

"Jess, are there any more?" Abby asked over the communication device.

"_No,"_ Jess replied. _"The area is clear,"_ she told Abby pulling up the mall security cameras and searching.

"Okay thanks." Going over to Beth she looked at her leg. Taking a handkerchief from Conner, she tied it around Beth's leg to stop the bleeding. "Let's get outside and see how bad that leg is."

Beth nodded. Rising to her feet with a little help from Conner, he helped her limp outside to the back of the SUV…where James Lester(who was on the phone) and Ms. Thomas were waiting. "Beth, what is going on?" Ms. Thomas asked her charge.

"Just," She hissed in pain as Conner sat her down in the back of the vehicle, "another day at the mall."

"Thank you," said James Lester as he hung up the phone. "So this is just another day at the mall hmm?" He asked Beth, who looked down at her feet sheepishly. "Well this is your last day in the custody of Children's Services. After speaking with the Prime Minister, who agrees considering the circumstances, you will be placed in the custody of Conner Temple and Abigail Maitland."

"You're serious?" Beth asked. Lester nodded and Beth hopped out of the vehicle, going over to Lester and hugging him. After letting him go Lester straightened his suit. "Yes…well." After regaining composure he said to Conner and Abby, "Take Beth home. I'll expect a debriefing with you two first thing in the morning." Leaving the three of them James Lester went back to the ARC.

Things were finally looking up for Beth Lillian Anderson. But would they stay that way for long?

_**A/N: Did bits of this chapter leave people on edge? I know it did for me as I wrote it. I don't know if the Prime Minister has power over Children Services, but in the show James Lester seems to be close friends with the Prime Minister, so I am taking liberties with the British government. Song used is "Shut up and Drive" by Rihanna**_


	9. Chapter 9

_Previously: Things were finally looking up for Beth Lillian Anderson. _

_But would they stay that way for long?_

**A/N: Just 3-4 chapters left to go… **

_1 month later…_

Things were finally settling into place for Beth Anderson. After the raptor fiasco at the mall, thanks to James Lester and the Prime Minister, she was placed in the custody of Abby and Conner. Plus thanks to her computer skills, she had landed herself an after-school job at the ARC helping Jess out as well as helping Abby with the animals in the menagerie. Everything was going smoothly, until one day things take a backwards turn…

**A/N: Yes I know this chapter is short, but it's strictly a filler chapter. Things will get crazy again next chapter, I promise.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Previously: Things were finally settling into place for Beth Anderson. Everything was going smoothly, until one day things take a backwards turn…_

Beth left school and headed over to the ARC. After passing through security, she made her way to the main level and put her bag in her locker, before heading over to the computer station and sitting down. Not seeing Jess, she looked around before noticing Becker. "Hey Becker, where's Jess?" she asked him, figuring he would know. The two of them had been flirting with each other for weeks now and everyone working here was just waiting for the two of them to get together.

"Her feet are sore, so she's grabbing an ice pack real quick." The soldier told the young girl.

"New shoes?" Beth asked him. Everyone also knew how much Jess loved shoes.

He laughed. "New shoes," he confirmed nodding his head. Then he walked away, leaving the young girl to work. Beth went through some of the computer software, seeing what needed debugging, what needed updating, etc.

At first everything seemed fine, but then she noticed something. Was it a glitch? After a closer look, she deemed it not to be. Sending the coordinates to her work phone, she ran to find someone, anyone.

First she went to Lester's office. He wasn't there, then after seeing a post-it note on his desk, she remembered that he had a meeting. Then as she left Lester's office, she ran into Jess.

"Hey sweetie, where's the fire?" Jess asked Beth, noticing the hurried girl.

"Where's Abby and Conner?" Beth asked her fellow co-worker. Looking at her watch Jess said, "They should be here any minute. Why?"

Beth knew she couldn't wait. "Just tell them to meet me there," she said and raced out of the building. On her way out, she bumped into Becker, who went over to Jess and asked her, "Where's she going?"

"I'm not sure. She just asked me where Abby and Conner were. I told her that they weren't here yet and she raced out of here after telling me to let them know to meet her there."

"Where?" asked Becker.

"No clue," said Jess, before she walked over to the computer station. Sitting down she noticed the same thing that Beth had. _'No, it's impossible'_ thought Jess. Looking closer and double-checking the software, she came to the same conclusion that Beth had. Picking up her cell phone, she called Abby.

**RING! RING!**

"_Abby." _

"Abby, it's Jess."

"_Hey Jess, Conner and I are almost there."_

"Don't come here."

"_Why?_" Abby asked her, wondering why Jess didn't want them to come to work.

"Go to the Forest of Dean."

"_What's happening" _Abby asked Jess. Now she was really concerned.

"Just go. Becker will meet you two there." Then hanging up, she tracked down Becker. "Becker you need to go to the Forest of Dean."

"Why?"

"That's where Beth is headed. She's going straight to the anomaly."

"What anomaly?" Becker asked Jess. "The alarm didn't sound."

Jess dragged Becker to the computer station. Sitting down she zoomed in on the coordinates. "There may not be an alarm." Pointing to the screen she said, "But there is an anomaly and Beth's headed straight for it."

_Meanwhile…_

After Beth had left the ARC's main building, she went into the garage attached and grabbed one of the keys. Locating the car for it, she hopped in and started it up. Bringing up the Forest of Dean on the GPS, she backed out of the parking space and pulled out of the garage. Driving to the Forest of Dean, she knew if she survived this, that Abby would kill her. Scratch that; Lester would kill her if he didn't have her arrested first. She wasn't authorized to take one of the ARC vehicles; also she only had her learner's permit. So her driving was iffy at best. But she had to go, she had to finish this.

Recently Conner and Jess had come up with a new program, which could detect what time era each anomaly was a gateway for. This one was the same one that started everything. Yes it was a big world on the other side, but something was telling her that she needed to go. Arriving there she pulled out the Anomaly Locking Device. Setting it down, she knew Conner would be there soon so he could activate it. Abby should be there too, if Jess was smart enough to pass on her message. Beth just hoped she could deal with the problem before they got there.

Grabbing a gun and a knife, she stood near the anomaly, waiting for something to come through from the other side.

_In the car…_

Abby and Conner were driving to the Forest of Dean, both of them wondering why they were needed there. "Abby, why are we going there?" Conner asked Abby.

"I don't know Conner. Jess was pretty insistent."

"She said that Becker was meeting us there right?"

"Yeah," Abby replied.

"Okay, so we're going to the Forest of Dean…again. Becker's meeting us there and Jess is frightened." Thinking for a few moments, Conner connected the pieces and realized what was going on. Looking at Abby, he saw the look on her face and knew she had made the connection as well. Pressing the accelerator, the car sped up, both of them worried for Beth, knowing that she was there.

They only hoped she would be okay until they got there.

_Back in the Forest of Dean…_

Beth Lillian Anderson stood near the anomaly, waiting for something to come through. She didn't have to wait too long. After only 5 minutes of standing there something came through…and flew straight up.

As it flew she opened fire on the creature. Unfortunately she did not make contact with the creature. All she hit was a thick tree branch, which was severed from the tree itself and fell to the forest floor.

Beth dove out of the way, as the branch fell to where she had been only moments ago. Looking up towards the foliage she saw it…

Scarface…

The pterodactyl that had killed her mother.

This was it. This was where it all ended. Here in the Forest of Dean, where everything had begun.

As she stared at the creature, it stared right back before calling out and swooping down right at her. Quickly standing up, she stood her ground as it flew right for her. Once Scarface was close enough, she lashed out at it with her knife and making contact on the wing, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

Wounding it, Scarface hobbled towards her, moving the uninjured wing towards Beth, trying to clip her and send her to the ground, where it could finish its hunt.

Trying to avoid the wing Beth ducked and side-stepped around the creature, until she stumbled on the forest floor. She thought she was doomed for a death like her mother's, but then the pterodactyl flew backwards and bled out…

Thanks to Becker who had arrived just in time. Abby ran over to Beth and helped her off the ground, while Conner locked the anomaly. It disappeared within 3 minutes after that.

"Are you okay?" Abby asked Beth.

Uh-huh," Beth said, nodding her head. Conner ran over to them. Looking over Beth making sure she was free of injuries he asked her, "What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry. I…I just had to finish this." Beth said, feeling about two inches tall.

Conner hugged her. Letting her go he looked at her and said, "Abby and I…we love you. You're part of our family now. Don't ever try something stupid like this again, okay?"

Beth nodded, not wanting to say anything. She didn't trust herself to speak, fearing she would cry her eyes full of tears. As the three of them went back to the ARC, she did speak.

"So you think I could get my license now?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Now I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

So he did.

Conner and Abby were finally married. Beth was a bridesmaid. Since everything that had happened in the Forest of Dean 3 years ago, she had been given a full position at the ARC. She continued working alongside Jess and now helped out with the anomalies.

Life was always busy these days, but that was how she liked it.

Now she was sitting at a table during the reception. Right then was when Lester walked over to her.

"Beth, could I speak to you?"

She nodded. _'What did I do now?'_ she thought.

A man walked over to Lester. "Beth I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the ARC team, Matt Anderson."

'_Anderson?' _

"I recently found out Matt is your late father's brother." Lester said to the young woman.

Beth wasn't sure what to say. She just stared at him, then walked away into the bathroom.

"Sorry about that. I thought she would take the news better." Lester told Matt.

"It's alright." Matt said to James Lester. "I haven't seen her since she was a baby. I didn't even know about her parent's divorce or their death until a few months ago."

Abby ran over to them. "Where's Beth?"

"Restroom," the two men said.

Going into the loo, Abby saw Beth. "Hey," she said.

Wiping her eyes Beth said, "Hi."

"Must be a shock."

Beth nodded. "Daddy only mentioned him once or twice. They must have had quite a row."

"Must have."

"I don't know what to do."

Abby saw how scared the girl was. Some days even Abby forgot how much she had been through.

"Just say hello."

Beth nodded. She fixed her make-up and left the bathroom. Abby followed behind her only a moment later. As Beth went over to her Uncle Matt, Abby hugged her husband.

"Will they be okay?" Conner asked his wife.

"Yeah," she said. It would take a while, but uncle and niece would get along and husband and wife would live happily ever after.

That is, if dinosaurs didn't eat everyone first.

**THE END!**

**A/N: it might have taken me a while, but this is it. Thanks to everyone who stayed with me till the end. Oh and yes I did bring Matt in. I know I said I wouldn't, but the idea of him being Beth's uncle popped in my head out of nowhere.**


End file.
